270 INDIAN SPOETING BIRDS 



time, though the species is supposed to be common about there. 

 It is a much nicer aviary bird — Hke all hemipodes — than the 

 true quails, but of little interest to the sportsman, being 

 scantily distributed and giving a very poor shot for a good 

 deal of trouble. 



Besides the native names above mentioned, this bird is 

 called Dunva at Katnagiri, Kare-haJii in Canarese, and Timok 

 by the Lepchas. 



Indian Yellow-lcggcd Button-Quail. 



Turnix tanki* Pedda daha-gundlu, Telugu. 



The yellow-legged button-quail is easily distinguished from 

 the bustard-quail by its yellow legs and bill, and, of course, from 

 such of the true quails as are yellow-legged, by the absence of 

 the hind toe. It agrees with the bustard-quail in the difference 

 of size in the sexes and in the female being more richly coloured ; 

 but the decoration is quite different, the female having a chest- 

 nut collar instead of a black cravat, and this is not permanent, 

 being only assumed during the breeding season. The back is 

 less variegated in this species than the last, though young birds 

 have more marking than adults, but the most conspicuous 

 difference, besides the yellow bill and feet, is the absence of 

 any bars on the breast. There is practically no difference in 

 size between this particular yellow-legged race and the blue- 

 legged hemipode. 



Although more numerous in India proper than the bustard- 

 quail, and found in the North-west districts, where the other 

 is absent, the yellow-legged bird does not go so high up in the 

 Himalayas, my record of one caught by Mr. Goldstein at 

 Darjeeling, in my book on " The Game Birds of India and Asia," 

 being quite an exception, the usual limit of this bird's vertical 

 range being 4,000 feet. As this was caught at night at light, 

 it looks as if the bird were migrating, but it might have been 

 a mere stray. This button-quail does not occur in Ceylon, and 



* jondera on plate. 



